Possible IRQ sharing issues with QuickInstall on some hardware configurations.

[lss4]

Board: ASRock H97M Pro4

Originally I did make a successful deployment of Win98SE 98Lite Micro image on this board. However, after adding an ASM2812-powered PCIe x4 to 2xNVMe adapter (so I can use two NVMe drives over the board's PCIe x4 slot), win98-quickinstall can no longer boot, stuck at "sharing IRQ 11 with ...." line. The last few lines read:

...
PCI 0000:00:14.0: found PCI INT A -> IRQ 11
PCI 0000:00:14.0: sharing IRQ 11 with 0000:00:01.0
PCI 0000:00:14.0: sharing IRQ 11 with 0000:00:16.0
PCI 0000:00:14.0: sharing IRQ 11 with 0000:00:1a.0
PCI 0000:00:14.0: sharing IRQ 11 with 0000:00:1c.0
PCI 0000:00:14.0: sharing IRQ 11 with 0000:00:1c.4
PCI 0000:00:14.0: sharing IRQ 11 with 0000:01:00.0
PCI 0000:00:14.0: sharing IRQ 11 with 0000:04:00.2
PCI 0000:00:14.0: sharing IRQ 11 with 0000:04:01.0
PCI 0000:00:14.0: sharing IRQ 11 with 0000:05:00.0

The system also had CachyOS Linux installed and it boots fine. According to lspci -nn the device 05:00.0 is the ASM2812 bridge chip on my PCIe x4 to 2xNVMe adapter. I think this one is the host-facing side. There are two additional entries of it (not shown since the system has hung at this point), 06:00.0 and 06:08.0 which I think are the NVMe-facing side.

I think my issue is related to #56 to some extent, as the device 00:14.0 is my board's xHCI controller. Disabling the xHCI controller, the system still hangs at this point, but the lines became 00:1a.0 which is my board's EHCI controller.

Only by disabling both USB controllers in BIOS and use optical drive to boot win98-quickinstall did I succeed in booting and perform installation.

So apparently, with the kernel (or default boot parameters) used by win98-quickinstall, ASM2812 doesn't like the board's USB controllers (both EHCI and xHCI), or it might be the other way around.

(PS: I'm not using the NVMe drives for Win9x. While NVMe9x driver does pick up my NVMe drives/controllers after installation, IIRC only one would work normally and the other get exclamation mark complaining about IRQ cannot be shared, so I'd simply disable them.)

Not sure if this can be fixed with boot parameters, or a kernel update on the win98-quickinstall side, since normal Linux distros can boot without any issue on this board.

[oerg866]

This is because the kernel is built without APIC support... I am about to test at some point whether the kernel still fits inside the size constraints with it in...

…

On Sun, Jul 12, 2026, 04:49 L.S.S. ***@***.***> wrote: *lss4* created an issue (oerg866/win98-quickinstall#149) <#149> Board: ASRock H97M Pro4 Originally I did make a successful deployment of Win98SE 98Lite Micro image on this board. However, after adding an ASM2812-powered PCIe x4 to 2xNVMe adapter (so I can use two NVMe drives over the board's PCIe x4 slot), win98-quickinstall can no longer boot, stuck at "sharing IRQ 11 with ...." line. The last few lines read: ... PCI 0000:00:14.0: found PCI INT A -> IRQ 11 PCI 0000:00:14.0: sharing IRQ 11 with 0000:00:01.0 PCI 0000:00:14.0: sharing IRQ 11 with 0000:00:16.0 PCI 0000:00:14.0: sharing IRQ 11 with 0000:00:1a.0 PCI 0000:00:14.0: sharing IRQ 11 with 0000:00:1c.0 PCI 0000:00:14.0: sharing IRQ 11 with 0000:00:1c.4 PCI 0000:00:14.0: sharing IRQ 11 with 0000:01:00.0 PCI 0000:00:14.0: sharing IRQ 11 with 0000:04:00.2 PCI 0000:00:14.0: sharing IRQ 11 with 0000:04:01.0 PCI 0000:00:14.0: sharing IRQ 11 with 0000:05:00.0 The system also had CachyOS Linux installed and it boots fine. According to lspci -nn the device 05:00.0 is the ASM2812 bridge chip on my PCIe x4 to 2xNVMe adapter. I think this one is the host-facing side. There are two additional entries of it (not shown since the system has hung at this point), 06:00.0 and 06:08.0 which I think are the NVMe-facing side. I think my issue is related to #56 <#56> to some extent, as the device 00:14.0 is my board's xHCI controller. Disabling the xHCI controller, the system still hangs at this point, but the lines became 00:1a.0 which is my board's EHCI controller. Only by disabling both USB controllers in BIOS and use optical drive to boot win98-quickinstall did I succeed in booting and perform installation. So apparently, with the kernel (or default boot parameters) used by win98-quickinstall, ASM2812 doesn't like the board's USB controllers (both EHCI and xHCI), or it might be the other way around. (PS: I'm not using the NVMe drives for Win9x. While NVMe9x driver does pick up my NVMe drives/controllers after installation, IIRC only one would work normally and the other get exclamation mark complaining about IRQ cannot be shared, so I'd simply disable them.) Not sure if this can be fixed with boot parameters, or a kernel update on the win98-quickinstall side, since normal Linux distros can boot without any issue on this board. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#149?email_source=notifications&email_token=AAISOPMNL23N337OVS2PJGT5EL4ELA5CNFSL4Z3JMQ5C6L3HNF2C22DVMIXUS43TOVSS6NBYGY2TCNBRHE3TRJTSMVQXG33OVJZXKYTTMNZGSYTFMSSWK5TFNZ2KYZTPN52GK4S7MNWGSY3L>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AAISOPPLS2MPAYO5XKNA7FL5EL4ELAVCNFSNUABFKJSXA33TNF2G64TZHM2TQNJZGI4DOMRQHNEXG43VMU5TIOBWGUYTIMJZG44KC5QC> . Triage notifications, keep track of coding agent tasks and review pull requests on the go with GitHub Mobile for iOS <https://github.com/notifications/mobile/ios/AAISOPLCCZ4OMPL5UM33IKD5EL4ELA5CNFSL4Z3JMQ5C6L3HNF2C22DVMIXUS43TOVSS6NBYGY2TCNBRHE3TRJTSMVQXG33OVJZXKYTTMNZGSYTFMSSWK5TFNZ2KUZTPN52GK4S7NFXXG> and Android <https://github.com/notifications/mobile/android/AAISOPINNWT4IKYDLNGKDB35EL4ELA5CNFSL4Z3JMQ5C6L3HNF2C22DVMIXUS43TOVSS6NBYGY2TCNBRHE3TRJTSMVQXG33OVJZXKYTTMNZGSYTFMSSWK5TFNZ2K4ZTPN52GK4S7MFXGI4TPNFSA>. Download it today! You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[lss4]

This is because the kernel is built without APIC support... I am about to
test at some point whether the kernel still fits inside the size
constraints with it in...

I'm not sure which size constraint exactly... if it's about fitting inside a floppy image (1.44MB) then I think you can just provide a separate (larger) kernel targeting modern systems in ISO and USB builds.

There's no need to change existing (non-APIC) kernel configuration, as it's still useful for older, period-correct hardware where booting from floppy is relevant.

[oerg866]

The size constraint for the ISO is 2.88MB, and that will not change for compatibility reasons with old motherboards

…

On Sun, Jul 12, 2026, 18:16 L.S.S. ***@***.***> wrote: *lss4* left a comment (oerg866/win98-quickinstall#149) <#149 (comment)> This is because the kernel is built without APIC support... I am about to test at some point whether the kernel still fits inside the size constraints with it in... I'm not sure which size constraint exactly... if it's about fitting inside a floppy image (1.44MB) then I think you can just provide a separate (larger) kernel targeting modern systems in ISO and USB builds. There's no need to change existing (non-APIC) kernel configuration, as it's still useful for older, period-correct hardware where booting from floppy is relevant. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#149?email_source=notifications&email_token=AAISOPMKNBFN3ZZXUV4AET35EO2WJA5CNFSNUABFM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2JONZXKZKDN5WW2ZLOOQXTIOJVGE4DOOJRGE32M4TFMFZW63VHMNXW23LFNZ2KKZLWMVXHJLDGN5XXIZLSL5RWY2LDNM#issuecomment-4951879117>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AAISOPLAYOCQ3Z2WGYWITKL5EO2WJAVCNFSNUABFKJSXA33TNF2G64TZHM2TQNJZGI4DOMRQHNEXG43VMU5TIOBWGUYTIMJZG44KC5QC> . Triage notifications, keep track of coding agent tasks and review pull requests on the go with GitHub Mobile for iOS <https://github.com/notifications/mobile/ios/AAISOPLH7RBN4Q7QONQML2T5EO2WJA5CNFSNUABFM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2JONZXKZKDN5WW2ZLOOQXTIOJVGE4DOOJRGE32M4TFMFZW63VHMNXW23LFNZ2KKZLWMVXHJKTGN5XXIZLSL5UW64Y> and Android <https://github.com/notifications/mobile/android/AAISOPO7AXPFNMFJQTCJRE35EO2WJA5CNFSNUABFM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2JONZXKZKDN5WW2ZLOOQXTIOJVGE4DOOJRGE32M4TFMFZW63VHMNXW23LFNZ2KKZLWMVXHJLTGN5XXIZLSL5QW4ZDSN5UWI>. Download it today! You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[LordOfMice]

Disable PCI IRQ Steering. This option has to be turned off on all modern systems by default (and better when setup too).

[lss4]

Disable PCI IRQ Steering. This option has to be turned off on all modern systems by default (and better when setup too).

IIRC PCI IRQ Steering was something specific to ACPI and I think 98Lite Micro profiles already have ACPI turned off.

The hang I'm getting is when booting win9x-quickinstall itself. Right now my NVMe adapter (ASM2812) isn't happy with my board's USB controllers, so I have to use only PS/2 keyboard and mouse, disable both EHCI and xHCI controllers, and boot via optical drive, to succeed in booting and enter the installer.

Once I finish the installation I can re-enable the USB controllers afterwards. As I don't use NVMe drives for Win9x I'd simply disable them in the device manager to avoid any possible issue...

I wonder if there's any kernel boot parameter that could disable PCI IRQ Steering like you've said... I don't think the UEFI BIOS in modern boards would ever offer such switches...

[LordOfMice]

PCI IRQ Steering was something specific to ACPI

No. PCI IRQ Steering (PCI IRQ Router) is system hardware object (inside south bridge usually). ACPI definitely has some methods to describe and control it. But not ONLY ACPI. Windows 9x has 4 sources of description and 2 methods for control. Check according PCI Bus property page if you never saw it.

that could disable PCI IRQ Steering

not boot parameter rather registry option set up by some .INF during installation by default

P.S. I talk about Windows 9x, NOT oerg866 [Linux] installer to be precise...

[lss4]

PCI IRQ Steering was something specific to ACPI

No. PCI IRQ Steering (PCI IRQ Router) is system hardware object (inside south bridge usually). ACPI definitely has some methods to describe and control it. But not ONLY ACPI. Windows 9x has 4 sources of description and 2 methods for control. Check according PCI Bus property page if you never saw it.

that could disable PCI IRQ Steering

not boot parameter rather registry option set up by some .INF during installation by default

P.S. I talk about Windows 9x, NOT oerg866 [Linux] installer to be precise...

Thanks for clarifying, but I'm afraid this would be off-topic in this issue's scope. This issue is about the [Linux] Win9x QuickInstall installer which I'm getting a hang because of issues between USB controllers and ASM2812.

I'm not really having any issue with Win98SE itself on my board. Everything essential is working without issues after deployment.

[LordOfMice]

I'm not really having any issue with Win98SE itself on my board.

While NVMe9x driver does pick up my NVMe drives/controllers after installation, IIRC only one would work normally and the other get exclamation mark complaining about IRQ cannot be shared

This is definitely contradictory statements.

[lss4]

I'm not really having any issue with Win98SE itself on my board.

While NVMe9x driver does pick up my NVMe drives/controllers after installation, IIRC only one would work normally and the other get exclamation mark complaining about IRQ cannot be shared

This is definitely contradictory statements.

Okay... though I don't think I can test this in detail as, like I said, I'm not using NVMe drives under Win9x so I'd disable them to avoid unexpectedly touching them. The drives currently have no filesystems that DOS/Win9x could access anyway.

[LordOfMice]

The drives currently have no filesystems that DOS/Win9x could access anyway.

1. What are these filesystems?
2. DOS and Win9x are different beasts in this area.

[lss4]

The drives currently have no filesystems that DOS/Win9x could access anyway.

1. What are these filesystems?
2. DOS and Win9x are different beasts in this area.

1. From NTFS to Ext4 and Btrfs. I use NVMe drives for modern Windows and Linux, not for DOS and Win9x.
2. I don't think DOS and Win9x differ with respect to supported filesystems (FAT32 at most).

I'm deploying Win9x on SATA (AHCI) drives and they are the only ones formatted with FAT32 that DOS and Win9x could access.

Disable PCI IRQ Steering. This option has to be turned off on all modern systems by default (and better when setup too).

Back to what you've started... how to disable IRQ steering in Win9x and how could I check the status of IRQ steering functionality?

If this could somehow solve the NVMe9x driver's "IRQ cannot be shared" issue I might be able to test just that since it won't require the NVMe drives having an accessible (FAT32) filesystem anyway.

[LordOfMice]

NTFS

https://forum.ru-board.com/topic.cgi?forum=62&topic=31624&start=2740#20

Back to what you've started... how to disable IRQ steering in Win9x and how could I check the status of IRQ steering functionality?

This question can be googled and AI chatted pretty well.

[lss4]

Back to what you've started... how to disable IRQ steering in Win9x and how could I check the status of IRQ steering functionality?

This question can be googled and AI chatted pretty well.

Okay, I've found out as you've suggested. It's in the properties of "PCI Bus" in the Device Manager.

While IRQ Steering was indeed checked, it was never active on my installed system to begin with, as it reported it could not locate the "IRQ miniport driver" in the registry. I've since unchecked it just in case.

And regarding the two NVMe disks/controllers I currently have on that system, I've just tried re-enabling them and apparently one is reporting Code 10 (not present) and the other reporting Code 30 (IRQ cannot be shared). I've since disabled them as again, I'm not using them for Win9x.

Anyway... for my original question in the OP... is there any progress on assessing whether enabling additional kernel features would still fit in the 2.88MB size constraint?

[LordOfMice]

the other reporting Code 30 (IRQ cannot be shared)

If I remember correctly on that error you will get some button in property of device that shows you what the other device(s) is(are) in conflict.

[lss4]

the other reporting Code 30 (IRQ cannot be shared)

If I remember correctly on that error you will get some button in property of device that shows you what the other device(s) is(are) in conflict.

Nope. The Resources tab shows no conflicts in this case. There's no button for troubleshooting the conflict, either.

I think it's just that particular controller simply cannot work without APIC (which IIRC was never supported on Win9x).